Exhibitor interview: Klaus Hamacher, head of automation, BST eltromat

Klaus Hamacher, head of the automation department at BST eltromat, which will be exhibiting at Tire Technology Expo 2019, talks about how older machines can be given a new lease of life thanks to modern automation technology.

For us, the focus of this year’s Tire Technology Expo is on our modularly structured visualization and operating platform called PROSolutions. PROSolutions links our intelligent solutions for quality assurance in tire manufacturing with a clear user interface and offers the highest level of operating convenience. We will present new and enhanced function modules for PROSolutions. Furthermore, at our stand we will demonstrate the flexibility and power of the high-end line scan camera CCD CAM 100 for innovative tasks in such areas as thickness, width, length and angle measurement.

What are the latest trends/what are customers asking for?

In our opinion, over the last couple of years a development regarding what customers are asking for has taken place: now customers are no longer just looking for a supplier. Today, customers are looking for solution providers who understand their production process and who are able to increase their quality and production effectiveness.

What will be the buzzwords on everybody’s lips at this year’s show and why?

Normally, I would say Industry 4.0, but that’s not particularly original. Instead, ‘lifecycle management’ is coming up more and more. In my opinion, a lot of installed older machines are still mechanically in good shape and could run for more than a few years longer. However, many of these older machines need a retrofit of their automation systems to extend their useful service life.

What do you hope to gain by being at the show?

We hope to get intensive customer contacts and to identify new potential investment projects. Customers and interested visitors are invited to visit our stand and discuss their latest challenges and requirements for tire manufacturing with us.

About Author

Rachel's career in journalism began around five years ago when she started working for UKi Media & Events, having recently graduated from Coventry University where she studied the subject. Her favourite aspect of the job is interviewing industry experts, including researchers, scientists, engineers and technicians, and learning more about the ground-breaking technologies and innovations that are shaping the future of the automotive and tire industries.